Job 9:17

9:17 he who ¹  crushes ²  me with a tempest,

and multiplies my wounds for no reason. ³ 

Job 10:7

10:7 although you know ⁴  that I am not guilty,

and that there is no one who can deliver ⁵ 

out of your hand?

Job 11:4

11:4 For you have said, ‘My teaching ⁶  is flawless,

and I am pure in your sight.’

Job 16:17

16:17 although ⁷  there is no violence in my hands

and my prayer is pure.

Job 23:11-12

23:11 My feet ⁸  have followed ⁹  his steps closely;

I have kept to his way and have not turned aside. ¹⁰ 

23:12 I have not departed from the commands of his lips;

I have treasured the words of his mouth more than my allotted portion. ¹¹ 

Job 27:5-6

27:5 I will never ¹²  declare that you three ¹³  are in the right;

until I die, I will not set aside my integrity!

27:6 I will maintain my righteousness

and never let it go;

my conscience ¹⁴  will not reproach me

for as long as I live. ¹⁵ 

Job 29:14

29:14 I put on righteousness and it clothed me, ¹⁶ 

my just dealing ¹⁷  was like a robe and a turban;

[9:17]  ¹ tn The relative pronoun indicates that this next section is modifying God, the Judge. Job does not believe that God would respond or listen to him, because this is the one who is crushing him.

[9:17]  ² tn The verb יְשׁוּפֵנִי (yÿshufeni) is the same verb that is used in Gen 3:15 for the wounding of the serpent. The Targum to Job, the LXX, and the Vulgate all translate it “to crush; to pound,” or “to bruise.” The difficulty for many exegetes is that this is to be done “with a tempest.” The Syriac and Targum Job see a different vocalization and read “with a hair.” The text as it stands is understandable and so no change is needed. The fact that the word “tempest” is written with a different sibilant in other places in Job is not greatly significant in this consideration.

[9:17]  ³ tn חִנָּם (khinnam) is adverbial, meaning “gratuitously, without a cause, for no reason, undeservedly.” See its use in 2:4.

[10:7]  ⁴ tn Heb עַל־דַּעְתְּךָ (’al da’tÿkha, “upon your knowledge”). The use of the preposition means basically “in addition to your knowledge,” or “in spite of your knowledge,” i.e., “notwithstanding” or “although” (see GKC 383 §119.aa, n. 2).

[10:7]  ⁵ tn Heb “and there is no deliverer.”

[11:4]  ⁶ tn The word translated “teaching” is related etymologically to the Hebrew word “receive,” but that does not restrict the teaching to what is received.

[16:17]  ⁷ tn For the use of the preposition עַל (’al) to introduce concessive clauses, see GKC 499 §160.c.

[23:11]  ⁸ tn Heb “my foot.”

[23:11]  ⁹ tn Heb “held fast.”

[23:11]  ¹⁰ tn The last clause, “and I have not turned aside,” functions adverbially in the sentence. The form אָט (’at) is a pausal form of אַתֶּה (’atteh), the Hiphil of נָטָה (natah, “stretch out”).

[23:12]  ¹¹ tc The form in the MT (מֵחֻקִּי, mekhuqqi) means “more than my portion” or “more than my law.” An expanded meaning results in “more than my necessary food” (see Ps 119:11; cf. KJV, NASB, ESV). HALOT 346 s.v. חֹק 1 indicates that חֹק (khoq) has the meaning of “portion” and is here a reference to “what is appointed for me.” The LXX and the Latin versions, along with many commentators, have בְּחֵקִי (bÿkheqi, “in my bosom”).

[27:5]  ¹² tn The text uses חָלִילָה לִּי (khalilah li) meaning “far be it from me,” or more strongly, something akin to “sacrilege.”

[27:5]  ¹³ tn In the Hebrew text “you” is plural – a reference to Eliphaz, Zophar, and Bildad. To make this clear, “three” is supplied in the translation.

[27:6]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “my heart.”

[27:6]  ¹⁵ tn The prepositional phrase “from my days” probably means “from the days of my birth,” or “all my life.”

[29:14]  ¹⁶ tn Both verbs in this first half-verse are from לָבַשׁ (lavash, “to clothe; to put on clothing”). P. Joüon changed the vowels to get a verb “it adorned me” instead of “it clothed me” (Bib 11 [1930]: 324). The figure of clothing is used for the character of the person: to wear righteousness is to be righteous.

[29:14]  ¹⁷ tn The word מִשְׁפָּטִי (mishpati) is simply “my justice” or “my judgment.” It refers to the decisions he made in settling issues, how he dealt with other people justly.